Print or Project

A Visual Overview: Show the slideshow of photos to your class. Each has a descriptive caption and kid-friendly copy for your students to read. (Please note that there is also more extensive teacher note copy just for you.)

Creative Caption Review: Once you've been through the slideshow for an overview, go back through it again. This time ask students to explain why the captions do (or do not!) work. (Example: Do you think the caption "Castle Sweet Castle" is a good one for the first photo? Why or why not?)

Click the thumbnail slides below to see the captions and kid-friendly copy up close.

Continue the Conversation: Ask students to think about some of the movies or TV shows that showed a castle being defended (Robin Hood, Shrek, etc.). Then lead a discussion about why the castle structure provided such good protection.

Write about it: Ask students to imagine they are a small mouse in a castle kitchen. Prompt them to write an imaginary paragraph about the sights, sounds, and smells they might see, hear, and smell.

Extension Activities

Reinforcements: These worksheets will be useful as you further develop your teaching unit. The Word Power worksheet will give your students vocabulary practice with key terms from this mini-lesson and the related activity will help reinforce key concepts on castles.

The Medieval Castle Word PowerGrade: 4 - 6Students practice vocabulary relevant to medieval castles by using each defined word in a sentence they create.

Excerpted from:

Eyewitness: Castle provides an in-depth, comprehensive look at the history and structure of castles through a unique integration of words and pictures. Discover the mysteries of the medieval castle and what life was like for those living within.